Monday, November 9, 2009

LEAP Debate Featured By CBS News

LEAP's Judge James Gray goes head to head with Drug-Free America Foundation's David Evans in this CBS News point-counterpoint debate on the failure of marijuana prohibition. Part two of the debate is set to be uploaded Tuesday. Who do you think is winning so far? ;-)

4 comments:

Some of David Evans' numbers look weird. Most of them simply present the consequences of prohibition and pretend that they are the consequences of drugs. But some of them claim that prohibition has been correlated with significant declines in drug usage. This does not fit with any other statistics I have seen, including the DEA and ONDCP numbers compiled by Brian Bennett.

I don't have enough time to research this right now -- I have two jobs -- but it is now on my list of things to investigate. I am wondering whether Evans just made the stuff up.

I would feel bad for Evans, given he has to defend what is essentially an indefensible position, but his position is so self-evidently wrong that it's difficult not to attribute malice to his intentions.

I don't think Evans was lying, I suspect he honestly believes his position is correct. But he'll obviously never change his mind no matter what evidence is presented, and I don't think he handled the debate very well. Anything he didn't have an answer for was ignored and he ultimately chose to take personal offense at the debate and storm off.

Was going to finish reading part two today and comment here however, I've had a horrible allergy attack and it'll take days to recover.

Just quickly and then off to bed, yesterday I read part of the first interview and thought Judge Gray did well, especially when he addressed the "Legalizers" mantra prohibitionist are using.Second, the prohibitionists talk about cannabis being stronger needs to be addressed more thoroughly. First, you won't need to smoke as much to get the same benefits and second, Michael Pollen explained quite well in 'The Botany of Desire' why cannabis is stronger these days. Growers were driven indoors, grew the females only, the females created stronger buds because they were trying harder to attract a male plant. That's why cannabis is stronger today. And Prohibition has created the 'stronger" talk we hear today.